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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. last — to go on
  3. vault — a safe
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. last — finally
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. spell — a short time
  8. deal — to handle
  9. spell — magic
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. spell — letters
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. row — to paddle
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. game — wild animals
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. pit — a hole
  22. row — a line
  23. pit — in a race
  24. last — final

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com